Spoiler alert: The Coast will be recapping episodes of The Bachelorette every week this season. If you missed our introduction to this series, click here. Please stop reading if you don’t want to know what happened in the episode.
When The Coast agreed to commission this recap series, it was for one sole reason: Chris Gallant. The man who brought a Halifax connection to Bachelor Nation. The man who placed clips of Peggys Cove on American national television. The man who was brave enough to wear a hoodie with a blazer in his professional headshot.
When we found out there would be a Haligonian contestant on The Bachelorette this past summer, we rejoiced (which is to say I was really annoying about it in the newsroom for several days). At the end of a tumultuous year for Nova Scotians, Chris G was giving us something lighthearted to look forward to. And for the past month, I’ve relished in cheering him on every Tuesday night.
We knew it wouldn’t last. The red flags were clear; our man got little screen time (even during slam poetry week!), signalling he wouldn’t make it very far into the season. Last night, his time on the show finally came to an end. And so, as we dive into our recap of episode four, please pour one out for Chris G.
Thank you, Chris G. You made us laugh. You made us cry. Or, at the very least, you gave us an excuse to talk about The Bachelorette professionally. And for that, I’ll be forever grateful.
Okay, let’s move on to the rest of the episode. Martin, a grown man with frosted tips, gets this week’s first one-on-one date. He and Michelle both drive BMWs around a racetrack for a while. It’s kind of a boring date—believe it or not, drifting at high speed isn’t particularly conducive to good conversation.
They then cool off in a metal tub of water just plopped down beside the racetrack, directly in front of a red car. It’s the least romantic setting imaginable (a metal tub? in front of a race car?) and I’m very obsessed with it. Hey, whatever it takes to get that sweet BMW sponsorship!
We learn that Frosted Tips was good friends with the now-scorned Jamie, and he tells Michelle that, despite everything, he believes Jamie’s “a hell of a man.” Bringing up another contestant during a one-on-one is always a bad call, but this is especially bizarre. Michelle is hurt that Frosted Tips is questioning her decision-making. She reminds him that Jamie hurt her. Tips keeps doubling down, insisting that Jamie was a good bro. Very weird.
Later, over drinks, Michelle brings this up again, asking Tips to explain why he questioned her. He says it’s because he never saw his dad show emotion when he was a kid, so as a man he’s still learning to be vulnerable. He talks a lot about how he’s still learning that it’s alright for men to cry. Which… okay, sure! This is a conversation worth having at some point! But it doesn’t have anything to do with Michelle’s concern? At all? He’s just deflecting by feigning introspection and emotional maturity?
Michelle gives him a rose.
We move onto a group date, which includes 12 men (too many!). They each receive a pair of cute pyjamas, and head over to a space set up to emulate a child’s slumber party, complete with teddy bears, cotton candy and games. The men are so into this that they literally forget Michelle is there—she awkwardly stands around as they excitedly play duck-duck-goose, eat snacks, and bond with each other. At certain points, she tries to talk to them and they fully ignore her, preoccupied by the pure joy of the slumber party. It’s painful to watch.
Michelle is feeling understandably dejected and sad. She wants someone to make an effort to get to know her, and no one even acknowledges her presence. On her own show! She talks about how, growing up as one of few people of colour in school, she often felt unwanted or unseen. She explains that, after a lifetime of feeling like a second choice, experiencing the same thing in adulthood stings even more—she’s upset that the men would rather talk to each other than to her. (On her own show!)
She tells the men this, and they’re apologetic. She pulls Winnipeg Nayte aside and explains that she's especially disappointed in him because she thought they had a strong connection, and she wants him to put in the effort. Olumide then pulls Michelle aside for an emotional conversation, in which he tearfully apologizes for making her feel unseen. He says that, as a Black man, he routinely saw his sisters go through the same thing growing up. It’s a nice moment, and Olumide gets the group date rose.
We now move onto a one-on-one with Rick, whose week-one gimmick was dressing up as a salad. It was one of the creepiest intros in Bachelorette history (in my opinion!). I’m gonna be honest and say that he’s given me bad vibes since his salad days, but this date redeems him.
They go for a little hike on top of a mountain, and Rick opens up about losing his father three years prior. Later, he delves more into his family dynamics over drinks. Michelle is touched by his vulnerability, and he gets a rose.
The episode ends with some drama! Chris S (evil Chris) condemns all the guys for making Michelle feel bad on the group date, while Michelle awkwardly listens to his speech. It's self-righteous and weird, and no one really knows how to respond. He then pulls Michelle aside and says some men are too self-confident and comfortable, and that they’re unwilling to fight for her the way they should. He name drops Nayte as an example. At last, a new villain rises from Peter and Jamie’s ashes! (Though we can’t be surprised—remember, this is a man who introduced himself as “a firm believer that chivalry isn’t dead” who “isn’t here to joke around” before the show even started.)
Michelle confronts Nayte. Nayte confronts Chris S. We move onto the rose ceremony, where both Nayte and Chris S get roses, meaning we’ll get more conflict out of them next week. Three men are eliminated: Romeo, Will and Chris G.
Chris G…
At the very least, the episode ends with good news: the gang will be travelling to Minneapolist next week, getting the chance to see Michelle’s hometown! After a long travel hiatus, the franchise is hitting the road again.